Click Here to read part 4 in this series: How to Study the Bible Part 4: Observation

What Does It Mean?

Anyone studying the book of James will eventually come across one of the more confusing verses in the New Testament. James passionately tells his audience in the 24th verse of the second chapter, “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.”

This verse might leave some of us scratching our heads and we attempt to observe the Word of God. We can clearly see what it is says, but does it mean what we think it means? What about when Paul writes to the Romans, “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” (Romans 3:28)? Does the verse in James contradict this verse in Romans? What then are we saved by, faith or works?

The purpose of this post is not to elaborate on the relationship between faith and works and what they both mean for our salvation. I’ll trust you to do that on your own time (but just in case you’re worried, when rightly understood in their proper contexts, there is no contradiction between these two verses). The purpose of this post is to encourage you to ask these types of questions of the text you are studying. It’s not enough to simply know what the text says, we need to know the meaning behind it.

After you complete your thorough observation of the text, create your outline, and take your notes, it’s time to think about what is meant by all those words you’ve been living with and comprehending over the course of your study. Thus you will embark on the next step of an Inductive Bible Study: Interpretation.

The Problem of Interpretation

God has gifted certain people to be teachers of His Word. These people are able to interpret Scripture in a way that is both true to the text and meaningful to us. It is good to sit at the feet of these teachers and learn from their wisdom and understanding.

But what happens when you come across a teacher that says this:

“God wants us to prosper financially, to have plenty of money, to fulfill the destiny He has laid out for us” (Joel Osteen).

And another teacher who says this:

“Riches are such dangerous things. They are not a blessing usually. They are usually a curse. People are destroyed by riches. I don’t mean its sinful to make a lot of money. I mean its sinful to want to keep a lot of money” (John Piper).

Both of these men are giving their interpretation of Scripture. The problem is, their interpretations oppose each other. How do you know which one to believe?

Because of the problem of opposing interpretations, it’s important for us to make an attempt at interpreting God’s Word for ourselves first. This way we are better able to discern between those teachers who are misinterpreting scripture (Joel Osteen above) and those who are staying true to what the text actually says (John Piper above).

Below, I will provide just a few resources from reliable Bible teachers that you can consult when the time comes. But first, let’s look at how you will go about attempting to interpret the text for yourself.

Paraphrasing

In her book, Women of the Word: How to Study the Bible with Both Our Hearts and Our Minds, Jen Wilkin recommends paraphrasing as one of the first steps to working out the meaning for yourself.

This might seem like a task you would’ve been assigned in your high school literature course, but it can actually be quite helpful in assessing your understanding of the text. By paraphrasing, you can quickly see which parts of the text you understand and which parts are still a little tricky for you.

I like to break the text up by section heading when paraphrasing. I give the section a new heading and attempt to explain in my own words the message the author was trying to communicate in that particular section. I might go back through my notes and double check my cross-references to help me with the paraphrase. If there is a section that is particularly tricky, I might take a break from my work and think through that section, prayerfully, for a while, before writing out the meaning in my own words.

We live in a time and culture where we don’t have to wait for an answer to anything. We can instantly text our friends to gather their opinion on a certain subject. If we have a question about something we’ve come across, google can provide us with an answer in seconds. While there are advantages to this, I can’t help but wonder if we’ve lost the ability to ponder over things we don’t know. I believe there is value in taking the time to prayerfully “wrestle” with the questions we have. When we’ve mulled things over for a period of days or weeks, we tend to come to more meaningful conclusions and better value the answer we fought so hard to find.

So my encouragement to you is to take your time throughout the paraphrasing process. Take breaks to think through things for a while before coming back to your work. Prayerfully consider what the Holy Spirit is trying to teach you through the text and think about what the rest of the Bible says on the subject to help yourself form a conclusion.

Looking At The Big Picture

The next part of Interpretation is to think through how the text fits into the bigger picture of the Bible. The Bible is made up of 66 unique books that tell one big story. The four main themes of that story are CREATION – FALL – REDEMPTION – RESTORATION.  We’ll look at each one of these themes.

Creation

God created the world and everything in it, including you and me. When he created the world, it was utterly perfect: without sin and in right relationship with Him. He did this for the purpose of bringing Himself Glory.

[speaking of Christ] For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. -Colossians 1:16

Fall

When Adam and Eve disobeyed in the garden, sin entered the world and tainted God’s perfect creation. Because of their first sin, we all sin and are separated from our perfect relationship with God.

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God – Romans 3:23

Redemption

Through Christ we can be reconciled to God. To redeem means to buy something back that has been lost. Christ bought us back with his blood when He died on the cross and rose again, forever forgiving us of our sins. This is the Gospel. And it is the solution to the problem of our sin.

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God… – 1 Peter 3:18

Restoration

Sometimes called “consummation”. Those who have been redeemed by Christ’s blood are being restored and made into His likeness. This is the process called sanctification. One day we will experience perfect restoration in our relationship with God when Christ returns to bring us home.

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. – 2 Corinthians 3:18

As part of interpretation, it’s important to think about how the text fits into the themes of the big picture of the Bible. Asking yourself the following questions can help you think through how the big picture of the Bible adds meaning to the text you are studying:

How would this text have been received by the people to whom it was originally written? What would it have meant to them?

What does this text tell me about our Creator God and his purposes in creating all that we know and see?

What does this text tell me about sin and people’s separation from God?

What does this text tell me about redemption and God’s plan to save His people from their sins?

What does this text tell me about God’s work of restoring His people to the way they were supposed to be: without sin and in perfect relationship with Him?

You can ask yourself these questions at the very end of reading the book you are studying, or you can break the book up into sections and ask these questions periodically as you are attempting to interpret the text. You may not be able to answer every question for each section of text. But thinking through each question can help you as you interpret meaning.

Click here to download a free printable to include in your Bible study notebook. The first page of the printable includes the four main themes of the big picture of the Bible. The second page includes the questions to ask yourself as you are thinking about the big picture.

Consulting the Experts

After you’ve made your best attempt at understanding the text for yourself, it’s time to consult those who are gifted in teaching God’s Word. One of the best resources to use during this process is a sound Biblical commentary. Commentaries go through a book of the Bible section by section, sometimes verse by verse, teaching you how to understand and interpret the text. Application is often included in the teaching as well. Below is a list of reliable resources to consult as you study. A word of warning, not all commentaries are equal. Some commentaries veer from a true Biblical understanding of the text. I have found the following list of resources to be reliable and stay true to the Word of God. Once you’ve found a commentary you like and trust, look to see what teachers and resources that author cited to find more reliable learning tools.

As with the entire process of studying Scripture, consulting the experts will take time. Sometimes an author will write several volumes of commentaries on a single book of the Bible. Enter into the process knowing that it will take time and effort to complete it. As you learn more and more, take notes on your double-spaced copy of the text to remember what the author is teaching you:

This list of reliable resources is short because I only want to share those resources that I have used myself. As I study and learn more and more, I will update this list with more resources. So check back periodically! (None of the links below are affiliate links)

• James Montgomery Boice’s Commentaries on various books of the Bible
• God’s Word for You Series
• Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries
• Tyndale New Testament Commentaries
• Check out this list from Ligonier Ministries of reliable commentaries for each book of the Bible. Scroll down to the bottom to click on the particular book you are looking for. 
• Notes from the Reformation Study Bible are available for free on biblegateway.com
• Free E-courses from The Gospel Coalition on each book of the Old Testament
• Free E-courses from The Gospel Coalition on each book of the New Testament

Be aware that some commentaries are more technical and geared toward those who have gone to seminary. I tend to stay away from the commentaries that suggest you have a basic understanding of Greek in order to appreciate it. I have always found J.M. Boice’s Commentaries and the God’s Word for You series to be more friendly to those of us who have not had a formal education in Biblical studies.

The three steps of Observation, Interpretation, and Application can be rather fluid. You will find yourself naturally interpreting as you observe the text. As you interpret and start to understand the meaning of the text, you will immediately want to apply what you are learning. This is a natural response to the Word of God. We can’t help but want to think about what the text means for us.

As you go through the process section by section or book by book, ask God to be faithful in teaching you what it is He wants you to learn. As you learn and grow in your understanding of God’s character and how we are to respond to His character, give God all the praise and glory He is due for revealing Himself to you through His infallible Word!

To download the free “Interpretation” printable, click the image below!